Last night, young Montreal Canadiens forward Juraj Slafkovsky sustained a concerning injury following a highly questionable hit by Noel Acciari of the Penguins.

Slafkovsky retreated to the locker room and was visibly frustrated by the situation.

A hit to the head like this, such a head injury, can sometimes have delayed effects the day after the game or even a few days later.

This is definitely a situation to monitor.

A Doctor Comments on Juraj Slafkovsky’s Injury

Dr. Harjas Grewal, who accurately predicted Patrik Laine’s injury a few weeks ago, has weighed in again.

Here’s what he had to say about Slafkovsky:

«Hopefully no broken bones and concussion check is ok for Slafkovsky.»

– Dr. Harjas Grewal

These are the two key factors to watch, but overall, it appears that Dr. Grewal isn’t overly concerned for the Montreal Canadiens forward.

 

Here’s the scene in question:

 

 

Shortly after the game, the Hockey Night in Canada panel discussed the hit, with Kevin Bieksa and Luke Gazdik sharing their opinions, calling it dirty and expressing their disapproval.

«It’s a reverse hit from Acciari and you’ll see he kind of gets his arm/elbow up. I don’t like it from that angle.”

-Luke Gazdic

«In hockey that’s a dirty hit. We all know what’s happening, two guys are racing for the puck, they are both reaching, and the guy who is supposed to get the puck first just leaves it and hits the guy. That is a bit of a dirty hit.”

-Kevin Bieksa

 

Slafkovsky, 20, is a 6-foot-3, 225-pound forward who was drafted first overall by the Montreal Canadiens in 2022.

He has 8 points in 9 games this season, after scoring 50 points in 82 games last season.

It will be interesting to see if Acciari receives a call today from the NHL Department of Player Safety.

Do you think this deserves a penalty?